Heaven's Gate
by The Night Lord
Summary: A band of space warriors have arrived on Earth, intending to harness the power of the Lifestream and use it for evil purposes. Cloud has to stop these strong warriors, as well as trying to confess his feelings to Tifa. R&R please, my first FF fic
1. Chapter 1

Okay, so this is my first ever Final Fantasy fic. Bascially the plot is that before Jenova arrived on earth, she created a world of beings. And these beings are coming to earth in an attempt to use the power of the Lifestream and become all-powerful. But anyhow, er on with the story. And please R&R and let me know what you think

†††††††††††

_The Lifestream_

_The powerful force that surrounds the planet. A place that those who have left us return to. The Lifestream is possibly more powerful than anything conceived. There is a story that there is a gateway to the Lifestream. A gateway to its power. It's possible that SHINRA found this gateway. It's also possible they didn't. And if someone were able to find the gateway and open it, they would have power beyond imagining_

†††††††††††

"Come on, wake up"

"No. You said I could have this day off," Cloud mumbled sleepily

Tifa sighed and put her hands on her hips

"Cloud, time to get up"

"Make me"

He pulled the covers over his head, as Tifa grabbed the covers and yanked them off

"Okay, I'm up, I'm up. What's the go?"

"I need some help getting Marlene and Denzel ready for school. You have the day off still. There's no deliveries"

"Okay, okay, that's good. I'm up"

Tifa smiled and turned to leave, but heard him slump back onto the mattress. She ran a hand through her hair and left the bedroom, slamming the door on the way out, waking him up and making him mutter under his breath

Ten minutes later and Cloud was dressed and heading downstairs where he found the two young children getting ready for school. A year after the geo-stigma incident and Sephiroth returning, SHINRA had used their power to create a school. Barrett wanted Marlene to attend, while Denzel wanted to go, having never been to school before

"So, we all ready?" Cloud asked, standing in the doorway

"Yeah, yeah, let's go," Denzel cried

"Come on then"

He led them outside, as the pair strapped on their helmets, before climbing up onto Fenrir, as Cloud fired up the engine and raced off, all while Tifa was watching them go from the front door. Smiling to herself, she headed inside to prepare for the day

†††††††††††

Outer space is a dead world. Empty and lifeless. Or so previously thought

A ship was flying through space with one destination in mind. It looked like a battleship from the Viking era, complete with a dragon's head carved into the bow, while dragon wings curved up around the stern of the ship, as well as two masts with about four white flags. There didn't seem to be any life upon the ship, as it cruised through space at a constant speed, powered by four large jet thrusters situated on the stern and six small jet engines surrounding them

†††††††††††

"So, how was school?" Tifa asked later that day

"It was great," Marlene said, "I loved it"

"What about you, Denzel?"

"Yeah, I enjoyed it. Where's Cloud?"

"Out on delivery. He'll be back later tonight"

"Oh"

"So, do you guys have any homework?"

"Yeah, I do," Marlene replied, "I'm gonna go upstairs and do that"

"Call me if you need help," Tifa called after her retreating back

The front bell jingled, as Yuffie entered the bar

"Tifa, how are you going?"

"Doing good thanks, Yuffie, yourself?"

"Great, just great. So, what's happening?"

"Not much. It's quiet around these parts"

"Uh-huh. Where's Cloud?"

By this time, Yuffie was seated at the bar, as Tifa got her her usual drink

"He's out on a delivery run. He'll be back later tonight"

"What's the go between you two? I know you have the hots for him-"

"Yuffie," Tifa scolded, looking towards the living room, hoping the kids didn't hear her

"I'm just stating the obvious," Yuffie smiled, "You should act on it"

"I don't know if he feels the same way"

"I think he does, Tifa. I'm sure he does"

"How do you know?"

"I'm very observant. I've noticed how close you two have been getting this last year. Have you even kissed him yet?"

"What? No!" Tifa cried, her face going red, "Why are you asking me all this?"

"Because I know you're happy, but you're not completely happy. And I know why"

"So, as soon as Cloud gets back tonight, I should jump him"

"Nice tactic. That could work"

Tifa raised an eyebrow at her, as she smiled

"Just get him in a happy mood and talk about how you feel. Trust me on this"

"If Cloud feels nothing for me…I don't want to be disappointed"

"You won't. I'm serious about this"

Yuffie finished her drink and headed off

"Well, thanks for that. Think about what I've said, Tifa"

With that, she was gone, as Tifa thought about her words

†††††††††††

Cloud arrived back home at about seven thirty. Although a little worn out from the delivery service, he offered to put the kids to bed, reading Marlene a story, before joining Tifa out in the living room

"Don't you just hate it when you think you have the day off and someone calls, stating they have something for you to deliver," Cloud said

"Yeah, I wasn't expecting any deliveries to happen today," Tifa agreed

"Tomorrow, I should be able to have a proper day off"

"You should. Hey, Cloud, come with me"

"What's up?"

"Just follow me"

"Okay then"

Cloud followed Tifa upstairs, as they climbed out through the bedroom window and onto the rooftop

"What are we doing out here?" Cloud asked

"Watching the stars," Tifa replied, "I used to do it as a child. I could sit out here for hours, just watching the stars. I used to be able to see the Milky Way"

"Yeah, it sure looks beautiful out tonight," Cloud said

He reclined back, hands behind his head, as Tifa sat next to him

"This was a good idea," Cloud said, "I feel so relaxed out here"

"I know the feeling," Tifa smiled, "You know, since you don't have any deliveries tomorrow, I hope not, we should go out. We haven't done that in-"

"Ever," Cloud said, "If only I hadn't left you guys, we could have done stuff like that. But I wanted to fight alone"

"Cloud, let's not dwell on the past. Let's concentrate on tomorrow"

"Yeah, I like that plan. You could always bring me back like that. I guess that's what I love about you"

"And is that all you love about me?"

Cloud propped himself up onto one elbow, gazing at Tifa. He was about to say something, but something bright red flashed in the sky

"A shooting star," Tifa said, standing up, "I haven't seen one in years"

Cloud joined her, gazing at the star as it fell through the air, disappearing from sight in a cloud of dust. Cloud frowned as he stared at its landing location. He had felt something strange inside of him when the star fell. He wasn't too sure what it was, but he decided to dismiss it for now

"Wasn't that pretty?" Tifa asked, "So, what were you gonna say?"

"Nothing. Come on; let's go to bed. I'm tired"

Tifa's face fell slightly, as she followed Cloud back inside

†††††††††††


	2. Chapter 2

†††††††††††

Cloud woke up to the sound of someone knocking on the front door. Thinking Tifa would answer; he rolled over and tried to go back to sleep, but the knocking got more persistent. Grumbling under his breath, Cloud got up, threw his pants on and headed downstairs, answering the door to see Reno and Rude standing before him

"It's alive," Reno said with a grin

Cloud rolled his eyes and went to shut the door, but Reno stuck his foot in the way

"Go away," Cloud said

"Aw, come on, man, don't be like that. After all we've been through together"

"What do you want?"

"Straight to the point. That's what I like about you"

"It's to do with the shooting star last night," Rude said

"Not interested"

"We think it's something other than a shooting star," Reno added, "Interested now"

Cloud sighed. He was doing nothing else. Tifa had taken the kids to school, so he was home alone. Scribbling out a quick note, he left with Reno and Rude, riding on Fenrir while they took their helicopter, heading out to the crash site, which took about half an hour. Cloud pulled up at the exterior, as the helicopter landed and Reno and Rude joined him

"Wow, check that out," Reno whistled

They were standing on the edge of the crater. The surrounding area had been burned away, while the inside of the crater was coated in some dark-blue liquid, reaching halfway up the crater. However, there was no sign of the cause of the crater

"Strange," said Rude

"Yeah, makes you wonder what did this," Reno added

Cloud knelt down at the edge, staring intently at the liquid. He felt as if it was calling to him. He shook his head, thinking him stupid for imagining that. And yet he could. There were whispers running through his head that wasn't his own. Suddenly, Cloud seized up, groaning in pain as he clutched at his head

"Whoa man, you okay?" Reno asked

Cloud fell onto his side, crying out in pain, his head feeling like it was going to explode. Reno and Rude quickly dragged him away from the crater's edge, as he slowly began to calm down, breathing heavily

"What the hell was that all about?" Reno asked

"I don't know," Cloud replied, "It felt very strange"

"I'll take a sample of that ooze and send it to SHINRA," said Rude

He rummaged about in the helicopter, taking out what he needed, before heading back to the crater and taking a sample of the liquid. Cloud slowly got up, holding his head

"You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah…I'll be fine. I'm gonna go"

"We'll let you know if we find anything"

Cloud threw a wave over his shoulder, getting onto Fenrir and roaring off

"Show-off," Reno said

†††††††††††

Cloud arrived back home and headed into the kitchen, getting himself a glass of water. He drank it slowly, as he sat at the bar, thinking about the crater. Whatever it was, he already didn't like it. It had made him feel like a part of himself was going to tear its way out of him. And he knew which part of him: the Jenova cells. They had wanted to rip out of his body and join the ooze. Cloud remained at the bar, slowly drinking water and brooding, which was the state that Tifa found him in when she arrived back home about an hour later

"Was over at Yuffie's earlier and…Cloud, are you okay?"

"Yeah, just got a headache, that's all"

"This early in the day?"

"What time is it?"

"Nearly eleven"

Tifa walked over and placed a hand to Cloud's forehead. He sighed, enjoying the coolness of her skin, groaning slightly when she pulled away from him

"Yeah, you have a fever. What have you been doing?"

"Nothing much," Cloud replied

He decided to stay silent on the whole visiting-the-crater-with-Turks, knowing that Tifa would fuss all about it. Downing his sixth glass of water, he got up and stretched

"Think I might lie down for a few hours. See if that'll help"

Tifa watched with a concerned look as Cloud headed upstairs

†††††††††††

"How did it go?" Rufus Shinra asked

"Cloud got close to the ooze and started freaking out," Reno replied

"Yes, I thought as much. The tests came back positive"

"Positive what?" Rude asked

"The ooze is one hundred percent Jenova"

"That freaky bitch who tried to end the world a few years ago?" Reno asked

"While it is completely Jenova, it is not her"

"How do you explain that?"

"We destroyed Jenova," Shinra replied, "And this ooze is remnants of her"

"Like that Kadaj and his band of freaks"

"Like the same, only more perfect than those three. Possibly more perfect than Sephiroth"

Reno let out a small whistle

"Looks like we landed the big one"

"What do you want us to do about it?" Rude asked

"For now, I want this kept secret," Shinra answered, "In the meantime, find out more about this new batch of Jenova. See if there was anything else in the crash"

"What about Cloud?"

"Kept an eye on him. He's been exposed to pure Jenova. It's never been this highly concentrated. The cells we used on him were spliced and engineered"

"We'll get Tseng or Elena on it," Rude said, "Anything else, boss?"

"No. I think that'll be all for now"

†††††††††††

"This is the place? This is where we'll find the gate?"

"I'm hoping on it. I know the gate is in this area of Earth"

"So let me get this straight: we find the gate, we open the gate, boom, we have power beyond all imagination?"

"That is correct. First, we need to make sure the cannon wasn't damaged in the crash"

"No, I think everything's working perfectly"

"That's good to hear"

"What about our brother? When will we meet him?"

"In due time. But first, let's send him a message, so he knows we're here"

†††††††††††

Cloud shot upright in bed, sweat running down his face. Looking outside the window, he saw night had fallen and that it was late. Tifa was sleeping in the bed, as Cloud leaned on his knees, thinking about his dream. There had been screams, building burning, a glimpse of a sword slicing through the air, as well as energy waves and an image of some sort of ancient warship. That was finished off with a maniacal laugh. He didn't know what it meant, but he had a feeling that danger was coming. Getting out of the bed, Cloud left the room, not knowing that Tifa had heard him go. She sighed and laid her head down on the pillow, wondering what was happening to Cloud

†††††††††††


	3. Chapter 3

†††††††††††

"He's having nightmares?" Shinra asked

"For the last three nights," Tseng replied, "Always around the same time"

"He's connected to them via the Jenova cells"

"Who's them?"

"We determine that there was other life forms in the crash. They had obviously escaped before we got there. They're here for something, but what we don't know"

"Do you want me and Elena to keep watching Cloud?" Tseng asked, "In case one of these beings show up near him?"

"Yes, keep watching him, but remain out of sight"

"Understood, sir"

†††††††††††

"Having nightmares?"

Cloud opened his eyes and sat up slowly, running a hand through his spikes, before looking over at Vincent, who was sitting in the window, staring out at the sky

"How do you know? And why are you here?"

"I've been watching you for the past couple nights, tossing and turning in your sleep. You seem to be muttering the word 'Jenova'. Don't know why"

"Jenova, huh?" Cloud said, "Is that what I'm saying?"

"Yes. I think it might be to do with the shooting star the other night, which is why I'm here. Tseng and Elena have also been watching you"

"Well yip for them. Does Tifa know you're here?"

"You haven't told her about the nightmares or the crater?"

"She doesn't need to know"

Cloud got up from the bed and slipped on a shirt

"I'd be careful if I were you, Cloud," said Vincent, "I fear something powerful and dangerous is here"

"When isn't there something powerful trying to destroy us?" Cloud said

"Be on the lookout"

Cloud turned to the window, but Vincent was gone. Shaking his head, he turned to the door as it opened up and Marlene peeked her head in

"Tifa was wondering if you were awake," she said, "Are you okay, Cloud?"

"I'm fine, thanks Marlene. Come on, let's go"

Taking the little girl by the hand, Cloud headed downstairs to the kitchen

"Morning," Tifa greeted, "How are you feeling?"

"Better now, actually"

"Were you sick?" Denzel asked

"Yeah, just a little fever. Nothing serious," Cloud said, "You know what, we should go out today. It's nice and sunny"

"Yeah, that sounds great," Denzel said excitedly

"Where are we going?" Marlene asked

"Just out somewhere special," Cloud replied

†††††††††††

"He's been suffering from the nightmares"

"Maybe we should give him a taste of reality. Do we know where he is?"

"Partially. Are we going to have a visit?"

"Yes. Just so he knows who he's dealing with here"

"Are you sure? Isn't it a little early to go visiting?"

"No, I don't think it is. Come on, prepare the ship"

†††††††††††

"Are we there yet?" Denzel and Marlene asked in unison

"No," Cloud replied, focused on driving

"Are we there yet?"

"No"

"Are we-"

"No. Not yet. Another five minutes"

"Where is it we're going?" Tifa asked, "We've been driving for over an hour"

"You'll see"

Cloud continued driving for a few more minutes, before turning down a hidden dirt road. They were now driving along a forest trail, which they followed for about twenty minutes, before coming out into a small clearing. Cloud pulled up, as everyone got out of the car

"Wow," Marlene said, looking at the thundering waterfall

"This is nice," Tifa said, "It's very nice"

"It's very relaxing," Cloud agreed, "I've haven't been out here for a long time"

"So what inspired this little retreat?"

"We haven't done anything or gone anywhere…as a family in a long time"

Tifa smiled as she watched Denzel and Marlene play by the pool's edge. Keeping a close eye on them, she and Cloud started setting things up for a small picnic. As they were unpacking, Tifa noticed one of Cloud's swords hidden under the backseat of the car, but decided not to raise the matter, as she called the children up for lunch

†††††††††††

"Sir, we've got movement on the life forms"

Shinra and Tseng headed over to the screen, where radar was picking up the signal of the pure Jenova life forms. Whatever they were, they were heading out west and fast

"Get Reno and Rude onto it," Shinra ordered, "Tell them to intercept if they can. Tseng, I want you and Elena to back those two up. Bring reinforcements"

"Done, sir"

Tseng headed off, as Shinra continued watching the screen

"Soon we'll meet. And then we'll see what you really are"

†††††††††††

Yuffie was out in the markets when she heard a low rumbling sound. She wasn't the only one though, as other people were looking around, trying to place the noise. Then it came: a large, Viking-era ship with jet engines flew overhead at a slow, low pace. Yuffie's eyes widened when she saw the ship sailed overhead, moving amongst the large buildings with ease as it disappeared out west

"Wow, I wonder what Tifa's gonna make of this"

†††††††††††

"We should do this more often," Tifa said with a smile

"Yeah, we should," Cloud agreed

They were relaxing on the picnic blanket, watching Denzel and Marlene playing

"You know, there was a small background reason for this," Cloud said

"Yeah and what's that?" Tifa asked

"Well, you know…you and me…we've know each other for years, since childhood actually and it's just…in the last couple of years…oh boy, this is fun"

"Are you gonna tell me this year or next?" Tifa asked sweetly

Cloud chuckled and looked over at the children playing by the pool

"This year, hopefully, I'll tell you this year"

"So, what do you want to tell me?"

"Uh, Tifa, we-"

Cloud was cut off when a large jet engine sounded out. Marlene and Denzel headed back to the young adults, watching as a large Viking-era ship hovered overhead, creating a strong wind as it slowly began to land

"Cloud, what is that?" Marlene asked

"Looks kinda cool," Denzel said

Cloud groaned and sat up suddenly, holding his pain in pain

"Kids, back to the car," Tifa said, "Cloud, are you okay?" she asked, helping him up

"Yeah…no, I don't think so"

"What's wrong, Cloud?" Marlene asked

"Kids, go now. Come on, let's go"

The ship landed, as a rope ladder was thrown overboard. Cloud groaned in pain, his head pounding as Tifa tried to take him back to the car, but a large energy field suddenly appeared, separating them from the children and locking them in with the ship

"What the hell is going on?" Tifa asked

"I don't know," Cloud replied, "But I don't think it's gonna be good"

†††††††††††


	4. Chapter 4

†††††††††††

Cloud and Tifa watched as several men climbed down the ladder and spread out before them, all wielding scimitars. They were covered from head to toe in light armour, their eye lenses glowing orange

"What the hell is this?" Tifa demanded

"No idea, but I'm not liking this"

Without warning, the soldiers charged at them. Tifa dodged a slash at her head, punching the soldier in the face, before grabbing him and throwing him into the path of another soldier. Cloud ducked a blade and drove his fist into the soldier's stomach, before kicking him in the face, then taking his sword and blocking another soldier

Tifa kicked a soldier in the chest, ducking under a blade and kneeing the soldier in the groin. As he went down, Tifa started beating on another soldier, as Cloud sliced down a soldier and taking his sword, whirling around and cutting down two soldiers at once. A soldier slashed at him, but Cloud blocked, turning around and slashing him across the chest, as Tifa blocked a soldier and threw him over her hip

"That's all of them," Cloud said

Someone climbed off the ship and dropped down before the pair. Tifa and Cloud got into a stance, as the armour-clad person raised his hands, levitating off the ground, as wind began to whip up around him. The force got stronger and stronger, as Cloud hissed in pain, which was pulsating through his mind

"Cloud, you okay?" Tifa asked

The soldier aimed one hand at Cloud, striking him in the chest with a lightning bolt. Cloud struck the force field, as Tifa quickly joined him. She got to her feet swiftly, but Cloud was weighed down by the pain threatening to overwhelm him

"Who are you and what are you doing to Cloud?" Tifa demanded

"I am Storm, first mate of the _Jenova_"

"Jenova?" Cloud whispered, _"That probably explains it. Partially"_

At that moment, a helicopter flew overhead, hovering above the clearing, unable to enter due to the force field. Storm raised his hand at the helicopter, creating a whirlwind that threw the Turks off their course. They disappeared from sight, as Storm looked back at Tifa

"Right then, where were we?"

His head snapped to the right after being connected with Tifa's high kick. She followed up with a left palm strike to the jaw, making Storm stumble back. Tifa then landed a blow in Storm's stomach, surprised to find that the armour was actually somewhat soft. As he doubled over, Tifa grabbed his head and slammed her knee into his face. Storm stumbled, clutching his face, as Tifa swept his legs out from underneath him. He rolled away from her, getting to his feet, as Tifa came with a snap kick on his chin, followed by a second kick that had her doing a full back flip, as Storm hit the ground hard. Groaning, he got to his feet, as Tifa readied herself

"My turn now," Storm said

He dodged Tifa's right punch and drove his elbow into her ribs. Tifa ignored the pain as best as she could, as she turned with a hooking kick. Storm grabbed her leg and spun around, throwing her through the air. She struck the force field and got to her feet, as Storm suddenly appeared before her, pinning her to the force field by her throat. Tifa grabbed his wrist, trying to break his grip, as Storm raised his other hand and unleashed a small bolt of lightning upon Tifa. She cried out, as Storm threw her aside, summoning a whirlwind beneath her and lifting her up, before taking the whirlwind away. Tifa hit the ground, coughing up blood, as Storm grabbed her by the hair and forced her up

"I admire your courage. But if you cannot even defeat me, you stand no chance against my master"

He forced her onto her feet, before kicking her in the back. Chuckling to himself, Storm dodged the sword thrown at him by a weakened Cloud. He struck Cloud with a lightning bolt, before standing over Tifa, as a sword formed in his hand

"Now to deal the final blow"

An explosion rang out, followed by gunfire. Storm looked around, as Tifa kicked him in the stomach, trying to get some distance between him and her, as the Turks bombarded the force field, succeeding in bringing it down. Storm quickly climbed back onto the _Jenova_, as it lifted off and began to leave. The Turks fired at the Viking ship, riddling holes in the hull, as it fired its engines and flew away at high speed. The helicopter landed, as Reno and Rude got off. Marlene and Denzel were by Cloud and Tifa's sides, as the Turks picked them up and took them back to the helicopter

"Are they going to be okay?" Marlene asked

"Don't know, kid," Reno replied, "We'll find out. Tseng, let's go"

†††††††††††

Cloud groaned and opened his eyes, before sitting up

"You finally came around," Reno said, "About time. All this waiting was making me bored. And the boss won't let me play my PSP. Sucks, huh?"

"What – what is going on?" Cloud asked

"That shooting star the other night? Wasn't a shooting star. It was that ship"

"It came from outer space?"

"Yep. Turns out that they're Jenova's children"

"What do you mean by that?" Cloud asked

"Well, you've got Jenova cells in you from your time at SOLDIER, right?" Reno replied, "Well, these guys are pure Jenova. Straight from the mother of hell herself"

"So they're pure? That would explain the pain I get from them"

"Yeah, Shinra reckons that these guys are even stronger than Sephiroth. Still yet to see those fireworks"

"Where's Tifa? The kids?"

"They're fine. They're back home. I think you'll be fine to join them"

"I should go"

"By all means, go home. But we have to get rid of these guys. We all know too well what Sephiroth did when he ran unchecked. Can't let that happen again"

"Don't worry, I'll handle this," Cloud said

"I am worrying, man," Reno said, "You couldn't face Storm at all. If you can't take at least him, what chance do the rest of us have?"

"I'll come through. I always do"

Reno watched as Cloud left the room and he sighed, before leaving as well

†††††††††††

"He couldn't fight you?"

"Not at all," Storm replied, "Fought the girl instead. She throws a mean swing"

"Oh well, isn't that a shame? How's things with the cannon?"

"Things are running well," came another voice, this one feminine "But we haven't found the gate"

"Don't worry, Tempest, we'll find it"

"Question, why can't we take the Lifestream from space?" Storm asked, "Wouldn't that be easier?"

"We could, but the Lifestream is too strong for an attack like that. We need to strike at the core, where it is the most vulnerable"

"And when we find the gate, that's where its core will be?" asked Tempest

"Precisely. Don't worry, we're on schedule. Things are running well"

"I want to take our brother down," said Storm

"In due time, Storm. You will have your chance. The gate is more of an important matter right now. We gave Cloud a little taste of our power"

"I still think it was a little early to do that," Tempest said, "Now Cloud knows that we're here and he will hunt us down"

"He can't get too close without feeling pain due to our purity. And he doesn't know what we plan to do. He's at a major disadvantage"

Loud rumbling sounded out, as a large figure stepped into the room

"Sir, we have located some information," said the deep, gravely voice, "Info that could lead us to the gate"

"Well done, Tremor. Shall we have a talk then?"

"As you wish, sir"

"Well then, let's get this ship going," Storm said, "Come on you two"

He left the room, followed by Tremor and Tempest, as their master smiled

_**  
†††††††††††**_


	5. Chapter 5

†††††††††††

"Do we know what these guys are after?" Shinra asked

"Nothing yet," Elena replied, "We're still trying to get information"

"And we've been unlucky thus far," Tseng finished, "But we are doing our best"

At that moment, an explosion rang out. Shinra frowned and headed to the surveillance monitors, as Reno and Rude joined him

"Seems we've got a breach," Reno said, "Rude and I'll check it out"

"Good, go," Shinra said

Reno and Rude left, as Shinra continued watching the screens. Armoured soldiers were entering the building, taking out anyone they came across. They were followed by four figures and that's when the monitors went static. Shinra frowned when the monitors went black. He could hear the sounds of combat, as Tseng and Elena readied themselves for a fight, waiting for the soldiers to arrive. Five minutes later, the doors burst open, as the soldiers spilled into the room, taking anyone nearby, before standing to attention in ranked formation. Four people walked into the room, carrying with them an aura of authority. One was dressed in armour similar to the soldiers, only more decorative, another was a flame-haired armoured female, the third was huge and tall, wearing small armour, while the fourth, easily the leader, was wearing highly decorative armour with a cape flowing to his ankles, his blue Mohawk set up in spikes, while he also wore a protective mouthguard

"Greetings and what can I do for you?" Shinra asked politely

"You are Rufus Shinra, head of the SHINRA Corporation?" the leader asked

"Yes, that would be me. And you would be?"

"I am called Shadow, the captain of the _Jenova_"

"We brought these for you," Tempest said

She stepped aside, as the unconscious bodies of Reno and Rude were brought forth, getting dumped at Shinra's feet. Tseng motioned for a few remaining employees to take the Turks away, as Shinra looked up at Shadow

"You know about the power of the Lifestream, correct?" Shadow asked, "You have often employed its power in your technologies in the past"

"I don't do that anymore," Shinra replied

"I'm interested in that power. I want to know how you got it"

"From the Lifestream. How else?"

"Did you get it from the gateway?"

Shinra frowned

"How do you know about that?"

"So it is true? There is a gateway to the core of the Lifestream"

"If there is, I'm not telling you where it is"

"I was hoping you'd say that"

The next thing Shinra knew, he was being held two feet high off the floor by his throat, getting pressed against the wall. Tseng and Elena went to help, but Storm and Tempest stopped them from interfering, as Shadow tightened his grip

"Wanna change your mind now?" he asked

Shinra reached into his jacket and withdrew a handgun, shooting Shadow in the forehead. He stumbled back, holding his injury, as Shinra slumped to the floor, gasping in air, holding a hand to his sore throat

"You're gonna wish you didn't do that," Shadow growled

Tseng elbowed Tempest in the ribs, as Elena drove her heel up into Storm's groin. He groaned, falling to his knees, as Tseng and Elena rushed at Shadow. He caught their fists in his hands and shoved them back, as Tremor picked the pair up by the back of their shirts, lifting them off the floor easily, as Shadow turned back to Shinra

"I repeat, where is the gateway to the Lifestream?"

"Screw you"

Shinra raised his handgun, but Shadow kicked it out of his hand, before grabbing him by the front of his shirt with one hand and lifting him off the floor

"You're obviously strong," Shinra said, "Find it yourself?"

"I'd rather you tell me," Shadow replied, "Because it'll be fun to beat it out of you"

"Take your best shot"

"You're gonna wish otherwise"

†††††††††††

"How are you feeling?" Tifa asked

"Fine," Cloud replied, "I'll be fine"

"Are you sure? You look a little pale"

"Tifa, I'll be okay. I've gone through worse"

"And that's what worries me. You've gone through worse and what we're going through right now is going to make you relive that. And I don't want you going through again. It's too painful to watch"

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna let that happen"

"You sure?"

"Absolutely"

At that moment, Yuffie burst through the front door

"Guys, you have to see this"

"What is it, Yuffie?" Cloud asked

"Oh, it's bad. You have to see it for yourself"

"What about the kids?"

"The kids will be fine," Tifa said, "Come on"

"Yeah, this is something I don't think the kids need to see," Yuffie said

†††††††††††

Yuffie, Cloud and Tifa arrived at the town square, as Tifa gasped. A long spear, about ten feet long, had been wedged into the centre monument, while a badly beaten and unconscious Shinra dangled by his shirt from the spear tip. The trio forced their way through the crowd to get a better look, seeing that an unconscious Reno, Rude, Tseng and Elena were chained together to the monument

"That's gotta be a bad look for business," came a gruff voice to Cloud's left

Cid blew out a stream of smoke and crossed his arms, looking at the display

"Always wanted to see this happen, but now that I have, I wish I didn't"

"This is bad," Yuffie said, "Who would do this? Oh, would it have something to do with that ship that was here yesterday"

"Ship?" Cid asked

"It looked like an old Viking ship, but with jet engines on the back of it"

"The _Jenova_," Tifa said, "We encountered it yesterday"

"When you say Viking ship, you mean like the ones that sailed the seas?" Cid asked

"Yeah, the very one. But with jet engines and it flies," Yuffie replied

"The weird stuff people come up with these days"

"We should bring him down," Cloud said, "See if we can get anything from them"

"You got it, spiky"

Cid moved forth and with Tifa's help, began to unchain the Turks, as Cloud climbed up onto the monument and slowly brought Shinra down to the ground. Once he was down, Yuffie took him off the spear tip and helped him onto the back of a truck, as the driver took off to the nearest hospital

"So, back to the bar?" Cid asked, holding Reno and Elena on his shoulders

"Yeah, let's go," Cloud said, carrying Rude

†††††††††††

Reno groaned and woke up, before getting into a sitting position

"For once, it's me watching over you, waiting for you to wake up, instead of the other way around"

Reno looked over at Cloud and gave him a look, as the other Turks started to stir

"Here rises the living dead," Cloud said

"What happened?" Rude asked, holding a hand to a bruise on his head

"I was hoping you would tell me that"

"We got attacked," Tseng replied, "The Jenovas. They attacked us. Their leader, he beat up Shinra real bad"

"He's in the hospital now," Cloud said, "How about we take this downstairs and we can talk some more about these Jenovas"

"Sounds like a plan," Reno said, "I need a drink to quell this headache of mine"

"Don't drink too much," Elena said, "We don't need a repeat of Christmas"

"Huh?"

"Yeah, we would hate for you to forget what you have to tell us," Cloud said

"Oh boy, I'm gonna need a strong drink alright," said Reno

†††††††††††


	6. Chapter 6

†††††††††††

"So, what happened to you guys?" Cid asked, "It sounds laughable"

"Oh, I doubt that," Tseng replied, sitting at the bar, "We're in a whole world of hurt"

"Which you guys were just in. Same with Shinra, only he looked worse off"

"Cid, please be quiet for a moment," Tifa said

The bell jingled, as Vincent walked into the bar

"Yuffie tells me that you guys have a story to tell," he said

"Join in, it's just starting," Cloud said

Vincent took a spot standing against the wall, his arms crossed

"From what we've gathered, these new guys were created from Jenova," Tseng explained, "Directly from Jenova, making them a lot stronger and faster than our SOLDIERS, including Sephiroth, ever were"

"They were created on some unknown planet before Jenova came here," Elena said, "But we don't know if they were created by Jenova or taken over by her"

"I'm leaning more towards the created part," Reno said, drinking whiskey

"They are intelligent, sentient beings. They have technology capable of space travel"

"You telling me that these guys are fricking Martians?" Cid asked

"Not quite, but they did come from outer space," Elena said, "Haven't you been listening?"

Cid muttered something under his breath and turned back to his Wild Turkey

"What are they here for?" asked Vincent

"The Lifestream," Tseng replied, "They want to harness its power"

"Kinda like what you guys did," Yuffie said

"Yes, only they're using it for more diabolical uses"

"End of the world anyone?" Tifa asked jokingly

"It's quite a serious problem," Rude said, "We can't take these guys. There's only one person who can and he can't even go near any of them"

"I'm assuming you're talking about me, right?" asked Cloud

"Why can't you go near any of them?" asked Cid

"He suffers from past pain," Vincent replied, "That's what it is, isn't it, Cloud? The pain you get from them, it's pain from your past"

Cloud hesitated before replying

"Yeah, yeah it is. I think it's to do with the nightmares they gave me. I can't seem to get over them. And every time I think I do, it comes back worse than before"

"Isn't this just beautiful?" Cid said, "We have suped-up Sephiroth wannabes wanting to take our Earth's power and the only one who can fight them is an insomniac"

"Cid!" Tifa chastised

"No, he's right," Cloud said, "I can't fight them at all"

"So, what can we do about them?" asked Yuffie

"Stop them from getting to the gateway to the Lifestream," Vincent replied

"They don't know where it is," Elena said, "Only Shinra does"

"Well ain't it a good thing he's currently unavailable?" Cid said

"Wait a minute. He's at the hospital, alone right?" Tifa said

"He has a few guards there," Tseng replied, "Why?"

"They could attack there and do something to him"

"Let's go," Reno said

He stood up and promptly fell over as everyone gave him a look

"Guess I drank more than I thought," he chuckled

"Reno, you stay here and look after the kids," Tifa said, "Yuffie, I think you might have to stay with him"

"You got it," Yuffie said, before grabbing Reno by the collar of his shirt, "Come on, drunk boy, let's sober you up the quick way"

"How do you do that?" Reno asked as he was dragged away

"Denzel, Marlene! Got someone here for you to play with"

"Let's get going," Cloud said

"Cloud, you can't face any of them," Vincent said

"No, but I'm gonna stop them from getting their hands on Shinra"

†††††††††††

"Sir, how are you feeling, sir?"

"How do you think?" Shinra replied, before sitting up, "Where am I?"

"At the hospital, sir. You were injured badly"

"Oh yes, now I remember. Is there a chance of a transfer?"

"Later today, sir"

"Can we make it sooner?"

"Sir, is there something wrong?"

"There will be"

BOOM!!

"Go, stop them if you can," Shinra ordered

"Sir?"

"Just do as I say"

"Very well then, sir"

The guards headed off, as Shinra grabbed his handgun that they had left for him. After checking the ammo counter, he waited

†††††††††††

"Damn, we're too late," Cloud said, spying the _Jenova_ hovering near the hospital

"We still have time," Tifa said, "As long as we get to Shinra first"

Cloud rode over to the hospital, as the sides of Fenrir opened up and he selected three sword parts, sheathing the two small swords and taking the base sword. The Turks were the next to arrive, followed by Cid and Vincent, but by that time, Cloud and Tifa were already inside the hospital

"Stop them," cried a Jenova soldier

Cloud blocked a scimitar and threw the soldier aside, before taking another soldier, as Tifa pushed off the wall to kick a soldier in the head. He went down, as Tifa dropped to the ground, swinging one leg out and tripping up three soldiers at once. Cid arrived, swinging his Bo staff and taking out two soldiers, as Vincent drove his clawed fist into a soldier's face, before dodging a scimitar and taking down the soldier

"Get to Shinra," Cid called, "We'll take care of these guys"

Tifa grabbed a soldier and threw him into the other soldiers, taking a whole lot of them down and allowing her and Cloud passage. They swiftly moved amongst the rising soldiers, on their way to Shinra's room

"I hope we are in time," Tifa said

"We will be"

They turned a corner, narrowly dodging a lightning bolt. Storm smirked as he fired another two lightning bolts at the pair, as they ducked back around the corner

"Okay, this is bad," Tifa said

"You distract him. I'll slip past," Cloud suggested

"But what about the pain you suffer when you go near them?"

"I should be fine. Go!"

Tifa turned the corner, dodging the lightning bolts as she moved towards Storm. He threw more lightning bolts, as Tifa began bounding from one wall to the other and back again, reaching Storm and kicking him in the face. He slammed against the wall, as Cloud started running. Storm swung his fist as he rose up, but Tifa grabbed his wrist and arm, swinging him towards the corner of the wall, breaking a chunk off when she connected his face with it. Cloud ignored the pain as best as he could when he slipped past the pair, heading towards Shinra's room. Reaching the room, he kicked the doors open, as Shadow whirled around. He was holding Shinra by the throat with one hand, as he raised the other towards Cloud

Cloud was suddenly blasted back through the doors, as Shadow clicked his fingers. Tremor followed after Cloud, as Shadow and Tempest left the hospital via the window. Cloud got to his feet, as Tremor swung his huge fist, throwing him along the corridor. Cloud hissed in pain, as his mind began to betray him again. Tremor smiled and swung his fist, as Cloud swung his sword. A tiny drop of blue blood touched the ground, as Tremor roared, slamming both fists into Cloud and smashing him through the ceiling. Cloud burst out through the roof of the hospital, as Tremor followed after him. However, the _Jenova _rose up, forcing Tremor to leave the fight and jump onto the ship, as it took off, leaving Cloud to lie there upon the rooftop

†††††††††††


	7. Chapter 7

†††††††††††

"So, they got away with Shinra?" Reno asked, "That's too bad"

"And they're gonna torture him something chronic," Cid said, "Poor bastard"

"We have got to stop these guys," Tifa said, "All I know is that they went north"

"So we go north and we'll find them," Cid said

"Won't be that easy. From north, they could go anywhere, just to throw us off," Vincent added

"Actually, it'll be a little easier," Elena said, "Tracking device. Shinra would have one on him. We just follow that"

"Right then, let's get going," Reno said, "We can't let these sad freaks get a hold of our Lifestream. Oh and kill our boss at the same time"

"I'm getting my materia," Yuffie said, "Something tells me we're gonna need it"

"Let's head out as soon as we can," said Cloud, "They've had Shinra long enough"

"Agreed," said Tseng

†††††††††††

"I like what you've done with this ship," Shinra said, "Very nice"

"Yes, it is, isn't it?" Shadow agreed, "Took us five months to build it"

"Is that our months or your months?"

"My months," Shadow replied with a shrug

"So tell me, how did you guys come about? I mean, really? I've got an idea, but I prefer to hear it from you"

"You know what I prefer to hear? The location of the gateway to the Lifestream"

"We all have our wants and needs"

"And right now, what I want is what I need," Shadow said

"But is it really?" Shinra asked, "You need the Lifestream"

"It's power. I know you don't need another bout of torture, but you're gonna get one if you don't give me what I want"

"But why would I want to do that?"

"Self-preservation. All you humans have it. You only look out for yourselves"

"All I can tell you is that I'm not telling you the location of the gate"

"You're a very brave and stupid human, Shinra"

"Well, even if I did tell you, you need the key"

"Key, what key?"

"The key to unlock the gate. Duh"

Shadow turned to shoot him a glare

"And you know where the key is, don't you?"

"But of course"

"Sir, we have incoming," said Tempest

"Guard him," Shadow told Storm

He followed Tempest to the stern, seeing a large ship flying after them, as well as a helicopter and Cloud on Fenrir, keeping up with the aircraft

"Rear cannons," Shadow ordered, "Destroy them"

"You got it, sir," Tempest replied, "Fire the rear cannons!"

Cloud swerved to his right to avoid the energy ball fired at him. Meanwhile, the Turks had unleashed their machineguns upon the _Jenova_, as it returned fire. The _Shera_ flew out of the way of the battle and flew to the _Jenova's_ portside, as Tifa leapt between ships. Delivering Storm a stunning blow, she grabbed Shinra and leapt off the other side, as Cloud avoided another energy blast and hit a rocky outcrop, soaring through the air, as Tifa and Shinra landed on the seat behind him

"Get him back," Shadow ordered

"This'll be fun," Storm said, "Come on, Tremor"

The pair leapt off the ship. Tremor landed and instantly began chasing after Cloud, while Storm was flying through the air after them, as they raced back towards the city. Storm began firing lightning bolts ahead of Fenrir, as Cloud did his best to avoid the explosions, while Tremor was gaining on them. Each step he took was creating a shockwave, making it hard for Cloud to keep Fenrir rigid and on course

"Return Shinra to us and we'll let you go," Storm said, catching up to Cloud

"Yeah, like hell I'm gonna do that," Cloud shot back

"So be it"

Storm flew ahead of Fenrir and positioned himself, as the air around him grew dark, small bolts of energy flicking around him. Cloud frowned, before slamming on the brakes when a bolt of lightning suddenly shot at him. Revving the throttle, Cloud spun away from another lightning bolt, as Tremor leapt through the air, landing beside Fenrir and creating an earthquake that sent the motorcycle flying. Cloud, Tifa and Shinra hit the ground hard, as Storm flew down and grabbed Shinra, before taking off back towards the _Jenova_, with Tremor following closely behind him

"Damn it, no," Cloud said, rising up

†††††††††††

"We have him," Storm cried, dumping Shinra on the deck

"Good work," Shadow said, stoking a fire

"You have a fire onboard a wooden ship?" Shinra cried, "Are you nuts?"

"No. Tremor, if you will"

Tremor smiled and grabbed Shinra by the leg, before dangling him over the flames

"Speak and your body will remain intact," Shadow said, "Remain silent and we shall roast you alive. Either way, I'll be happy. More so if you tell me"

"The key is within," Shinra replied

"Within where?"

Shinra didn't answer. Shadow tilted his head slightly and Tremor changed his grip on Shinra, before lowering him over the flames, as they licked at Shinra's chest. He did his best to remain silent, but a scream of pain left him the longer he was held there

"So, you gonna talk now?" Shadow asked

"Sir, they're still on us," Tempest said

"Well then, take your twin and take them out"

"Will do. Let's go, Storm"

The pair floated up into the air, before attacking the Turks' helicopter, as Shadow and Tremor continued torturing Shinra. He continued to be silent about the key and the gate, despite being grievously burnt on his chest, arms, stomach and neck. As Tremor put him down, Shadow noticed a glowing coming from Shinra's chest

"Hold him," he told Tremor

As Tremor restrained Shinra, Shadow grabbed a knife and sliced his chest open, before removing a glowing blue jewel, as Shinra groaned in pain, blood running down his chest. Shadow chuckled to himself, holding the jewel up to the setting sun

"So, this is the key?"

"It…will…take you…there," Shinra groaned

"Excellent. Now that we have what we need, there's no more use for you. Throw him overboard"

"I hope you get your ass kicked"

Tremor threw Shinra overboard, as Cloud revved the throttle, catching up as Tifa caught him. Cloud pulled over, as Tifa laid Shinra on the ground, as the helicopter and the _Shera_ both landed behind them

"They have the key…follow them…stop them"

"We'll take him," said Tseng

Rude gently picked Shinra up and took him back to the helicopter, as it took off and left for the city

"Are we gonna go after them?" Tifa asked

"Yeah. We're gonna have to. Let's go"

Tifa headed to the _Shera_ and got on, as Cloud fired up Fenrir and took off after the _Jenova_, with the _Shera_ flying overhead

†††††††††††


	8. Chapter 8

†††††††††††

"This is it," Shadow said, "The gate is not far away"

"About time," said Storm, "I was getting kinda bored with this waiting"

"Thankfully, the wait is over," added Tempest, "We'll finally have the power we deserved since our Mother came here"

The _Jenova_ followed the beacon of the jewel, coming to a small hollow mountain. The ship landed, as Shadow got off and continued following the beacon with his soldiers following close behind him. Not long after they entered the mountain, the _Shera_ and Cloud landed and pulled up respectively, as the sides of Fenrir opened up. Cloud began selecting his swords, as Tifa and Vincent joined him

"Cid's gonna stay on the ship," Tifa said, "In case we need a quick getaway"

"Fair enough. Let's go," Cloud said

The trio set off into the hollowed mountain, entering the dark and twisted tunnel, guided only by the fading light of the key

"At last, we're here," came Shadow's voice

Cloud, Tifa and Vincent entered a large cavern with a series of ledges leading down to a large golden platform. Shadow and his soldiers were about two ledges down, as Shadow himself headed towards the platform

"The moment we've all been waiting for. It's right here. The gate to heaven. The gate to the Lifestream. And in a moment's time, we'll have the power we need"

"Okay, let's start taking these jokers out," Cloud said

Vincent aimed his tri-gun and fired an explosive round beneath a ledge of soldiers. They were buried beneath the rubble, as Shadow whirled around to face them, his eyes blazing with anger

"Destroy them!"

Storm and Tempest floated up into the air, as Tremor leapt up onto the ledge, as Vincent fired a round into his chest. Tremor frowned and looked at his injury, as the round was pushed out of his chest and the wound closed up

"That's new," Vincent said

Tremor roared and slammed his fist into Vincent, smashing him into the wall. Meanwhile, Tifa had leapt up to take on Storm and Tempest, as Cloud drew a sword and leapt down at Shadow. A sword appeared in his hand and he blocked the blow, before throwing Cloud aside

"You cannot stop me," Shadow said, "All the pain you've suffered in the past prevents you from doing that"

"I got over my pain," Cloud said as he got up

"Really?"

Shadow raised his hand and moved his index finger slightly. Cloud cried out in pain, falling to his knees, as Shadow uppercutted him into the air, before flying after him and kicking him through a rock wall. Vincent leapt off a ledge, taking out another ledge of soldiers, as Tremor leapt after him, tackling him through the air. Tifa landed and dodged Tempest's roundhouse kick, as Storm flew in from behind. Tifa whirled around, blocking his punch and elbowing him in the face, as Tempest struck her in the back with a lightning bolt, allowing Storm the chance to kick her down onto the gate

Meanwhile, Cloud was busy trying to orient himself, as Shadow smacked him around in the nearby cavern. Drawing another sword, Cloud swung, but Shadow dodged, flicking his finger and causing Cloud to suffer intense mental pain once again. Gritting his teeth, Cloud tried to ignore the pain, but he was smashed into the rock wall, as Shadow kicked him in the chest, forcing him through and out into another cavern, this one smaller than the rest. Cloud held himself on his sword, as Shadow landed before him, his eyes blazing with glee

"This world will belong to me," he said, "And once I've used up all it has to offer, I'll move to the next planet, using the Lifestream as my totem of power"

"Only way to do that is if you kill me," Cloud said, "And as soon as you kill me, well then you'll have to deal with my friend. Once he hears of my defeat, he will come for you. And he will kill you"

"Well then, let's meet your friend, shall we?"

Cloud swung his sword, but Shadow caught the blade and threw him into the ceiling, before slamming his fist into Cloud's chest, driving him further into the ceiling. Grinning, Shadow pressed his finger to Cloud's forehead, causing him to cry out in pain. The pain was so overwhelming for Cloud, he couldn't even think straight, as Shadow tore him away from the ceiling and slammed him back into the cavern containing the Heaven's Gate. He threw Cloud down onto the gate, as Tremor managed to disarm Vincent and pin him to the wall, while Storm and Tempest were holding Tifa prisoner. Cloud tried to stand, but Shadow held him down with his foot

"It is time to open the gate"

Shadow held up the jewel, before lowering it into the lock on the gate. The entire gate began glowing, melting away to reveal a swirly aqua abyss. And at the centre of the abyss laid the core of the Lifestream. Shadow smiled, as Storm and Tempest created a massive whirlwind that blew out the side of the mountain, as the _Jenova_ situated itself outside the opening, a large cannon facing into the mountain

"Fire the cannon!" Shadow ordered

A loud whirring sound could be heard, as a tractor beam was fired from the cannon and into the Lifestream. Its power was being sucked into the cannon, as Vincent used his Chaos powers to transform himself, throwing Tremor aside and leaping over to Tifa, smacking Storm and Tempest aside

"We have to get Cloud!" Tifa cried

She leapt off the ledge, falling towards Shadow, as he whirled around and caught her by the throat, throwing her aside. Vincent went to go after her, but Tremor slammed into him, as the mountain began to break up from the power of the Lifestream. Tifa got to her feet and swung her fist, but Shadow blocked her, kicking her up high onto a ledge. The mountain began caving in on itself, as the cannon stopped its draining. Vincent threw Tremor aside and landed beside Tifa, as Storm and Tempest flew onto the ship. Tremor got up and leapt over, as Shadow removed the jewel from the gate, which began closing up. Cloud grabbed a sword and swung at Shadow, who ducked and slammed his fist into Cloud's stomach, winding him, before throwing him through the gate, just as it closed

"Cloud!" Tifa cried

"We have to go!" Vincent said

"What about Cloud!"

"Tifa…I'm sorry"

Picking Tifa up, Vincent raced outside to the _Shera_, watching as the _Jenova _flew back towards the city. The mountain completely caved in, as the _Shera _began lifting off. Vincent's Chaos power was drained and he returned to normal, as Tifa collapsed onto the floor, silent tears running down her face

"Where's Cloud?" asked Cid

"He fell," Vincent replied after a slight pause, "Let's go. Shadow has the power of the Lifestream now. We have to do what Cloud would've done: stop him"

"Cloud," Tifa whispered as the ship back home

†††††††††††

"We have it," Storm cried, "We have the power of the Lifestream"

"Now we can do whatever we want," Tempest added with a smile

They looked over at Shadow, who was busy strapping a device onto his hand. Frowning, they followed him into the brig, where the containment of the Lifestream resided. The twins watched as Shadow opened the containment slightly and placed his hand inside, his body seizing up

"Shadow, you okay?" Storm asked once he stopped seizing

"Yes, I am fine," Shadow replied, "Now I wield the power of the Lifestream"

"Well, wicked cool," said Tempest, "Now let's kill some people"

†††††††††††

"I have some bad news," said Shinra

"This ain't gonna be good," Reno said

"The Jenovas have the power of the Lifestream. Which means they have the power to destroy our world"

"Oh damn"

"Let me guess, there's more bad news?" Elena asked

"Yeah, there is," Shinra replied, "Cloud's dead"

"What? What do you mean, dead?" Reno demanded

"He fell through the gate, into the core of the Lifestream"

"He can't be dead," said Tseng, "Didn't he fall into the Lifestream before?"

"This is different," Shinra said, "The core of the Lifestream is very dangerous. You can't survive in there. Plus the core is surrounded by an abyss that will kill anyone"

"So, Shadow and his gang have the Lifestream and our best chance at surviving has perished," Reno said, "We're gonna get our asses killed"

"I know. Our chances of surviving are very minimal. Assemble whatever SOLDIERS we have left. They'll be our only chance," said Shinra

†††††††††††


	9. Chapter 9

†††††††††††

People were running, screaming in fear as they were cut down. The soldiers of the _Jenova_ were slicing their way through the civilians, aided by several Shadow Leapers that had been summoned by Tempest. Tempest herself was flying overhead with Shadow, shooting down civilians with lightning bolts, while Tremor was destroying any surrounding vehicles and small buildings. Shadow was watching this from the bow of his ship, a smile on his face as he enjoyed the carnage

RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT

Several soldiers were torn apart by the gunfire. Barret grinned at them and continued shooting with his arm machinegun. Storm threw a lightning bolt, but Barret dodged it, as a large shuriken soared through the air and struck Storm in the chest, bringing him down. He hit the road hard, groaning in pain, before removing the shuriken and throwing it aside, as Yuffie joined Barret's side

"What the hell has been going on here?" Barret asked, "I go away to oversee an oil field and this happens? Seriously"

"Yeah, well the cavalry will be here soon," said Yuffie

"Good"

A Shadow Leaper lunged at Barret, but was shot down, as Yuffie threw her shuriken through another Shadow Leaper. Storm and Tempest flew at Barret, as he shot at them, but they flew out of the way of the bullets, dodging them as they flew about, while Tremor started charging. Yuffie threw her shuriken into his torso, but it didn't slow him down, as Barret aimed and fired, delivering bullet after bullet into his chest. However, this didn't stop Tremor either, as Barret's arm seized up and he had to leap out of the way of Tremor's charge

Just the, the _Shera_ arrived and landed, as Cid used a small remote to send his ship back up into the air and out of harm's way once everyone had gotten off the ship

"Took your time," Barret growled, shooting down several Jenova soldiers, before looking around, "Hey, where's Cloud?"

No one answered

"What happened to Cloud?" Barret demanded, taking out a Shadow Leaper

"He fell," Vincent said finally, "He's dead"

"He's what?" Yuffie cried, "No way! No way! He can't be dead"

"We watched him fall," Tifa said, "He's gone"

"No way!" Barret yelled, shooting several soldiers

Storm flew down and kicked Tifa along the road, as Tempest headed towards Vincent. He was busy shooting at a Shadow Leaper and didn't see her, but Yuffie did and threw her shuriken. Tempest cried out when the weapon impaled her in the waist, as Vincent whirled around and fired at her. Tempest flew out of the way, before ripping the shuriken out and throwing it back at Yuffie. She caught it and smirked

"That's it, I'm gonna kill you both!" Tempest growled

Lightning cackled in her hands, as Vincent stood in front of Yuffie, before lining Tempest up with Cerberus. Just before he pulled the trigger, something smacked Tempest out of the air. She landed on her feet, facing Reno and Rude

"Couldn't help but notice what a terrible show you were putting on," said Reno

Tempest flew at the pair, as they both smacked her in the face with their batons. She did a forward backflip, landing on her feet and whirling around, smacking Rude's baton aside, before ducking under Reno's arm and backhanding him. Rude swung his baton, but Tempest dodged the weapon, kicking Reno in the chest, then grabbing Rude by his jacket lapels and throwing him through the air. Tremor did another charge attack, only stopping when Vincent dropped a flaming car upon his head

"That should take care of him"

The car went flying as Tremor got to his feet, rage etched on his face

"Spoke too soon," Vincent said

"I'm gonna grill your ass, little man," Tremor growled

"Hardly"

Tremor charged at Vincent, who leapt into the air, shooting with Cerberus. He landed on a small building, as Tremor leapt up and landed before him. Vincent fired an explosive round into his chest, before leaping up higher. Tremor picked himself up and chased after Vincent as they moved up higher and higher

More soldiers were appearing, taking on Yuffie, Barret and Cid. Tifa was busy fighting a losing battle with Storm, who took insidious joy in kicking her around the place. Tifa simply couldn't find the will to fight anymore. Cloud was dead, the one person she had cared about the most. He was the one who inspired her to fight for the sake of the world, but now that he was gone, she couldn't see the point anymore

"Come on, what's wrong?" Storm asked, belting her, "Off your game?"

Tifa swung her fist, but Storm blocked and grabbed her by the throat, before slamming her against the alley wall, lifting her up about two feet off the ground

"Is it because Cloud is dead?" Storm asked, "Wait, did you love him?"

"None of your business," Tifa said

"You did, didn't you? You loved Cloud and now he's gone. Too bad"

He threw Tifa down, grinning when she hit the Dumpster. She groaned in pain, before slowly getting to her feet, as Storm smiled, his hands cackling with lightning

"This was fun, but now it's getting boring, so I'm ending it"

He fired twin lightning bolts, but Tifa dived out of the way, rolling onto her feet and slugging Storm in the face. He swung his fist, striking her, as she struck him again and again with succession. Storm pushed her back and lashed out with a kick, but Tifa caught his leg, spinning around and throwing him through the air. Storm flipped over, just in time to see Tifa's fist crash into his face. He hit the ground and quickly got to his feet, as Tifa caught his fist and punched him

"No way a woman beats me," Storm growled after Tifa kicked him

He ducked her roundhouse kick, before blocking her two punches and shoving her back. As Tifa moved in to strike again, Storm created a whirlwind beneath her, lifting her high into the air, before dropping her before her friends. She didn't move again, as Storm landed beside his twin, who had taken Reno and Rude down. Vincent came flying down, slamming into the road, as Tremor landed beside him

"Vincent!" Yuffie cried

She threw her shuriken, but Tremor caught the weapon and dropped it aside, before grinning at Yuffie as he got into a sprinter's stance

"You lot are all too easy," said Storm, standing over Tifa's unconscious form, "So, surrender now and you will be spared"

"Yeah, like hell that's gonna happen," Barret growled

He aimed his gun, firing at Storm. He went down under the hail of bullets, as Tremor started his charge. Barret fired at him, but the bullets weren't having any effect on Tremor, who didn't stop, even after about two soldiers thrown at him by Cid struck him. Yuffie threw several small shurikens, before diving out of the way when Tremor charged past. He pulled up to a stop and whirled around, as a sudden blast of energy slammed into the ground, throwing Barret, Yuffie and Cid all over the place

"Now, now, let's have none of that," Shadow said, "It's not nice to attack those considered your betters"

Cid got to his feet and swung his Bo staff, but Shadow dodged the weapon at each move, before grabbing it on a thrust and throwing Cid through the air. Barret fired away with his machinegun, as Shadow raised his hand, creating a field of energy that absorbed and destroyed the bullets. Barret watched on in fear, as Shadow sent him flying with a blast of energy. Yuffie was the next to attack. Shadow dodged her shurikens, before blocking each of her melee attacks, then smacking her through the air, as Vincent and Tifa shakily got to their feet. In a flash, Shadow was before Vincent and punched him through the air, then catching Tifa's arm on a punch and forcing her to her knees, then smacking her down

"Give it up, you cannot beat me," Shadow said, "But I will give you a slight chance, even though it won't matter. Tomorrow, this world will be destroyed. If you can stop me by sunset tomorrow, good on you. If not and that's the more likely result…too bad"

Tifa went to rise up in attack mode, but was smacked down by Shadow, as he laughed, before flying up to the _Jenova_, as Storm, Tempest and Tremor joined him on the ship, as it flew off into the distance, leaving the members of AVALANCHE to lick their wounds following their sound defeat

†††††††††††


	10. Chapter 10

†††††††††††

†††††††††††

_"Cloud…_

_Time to wake up, Cloud… It's not over… You're not finished…"_

_Cloud stirred slightly, as the voices continued "So much left to do… What if she never knows?"_

"_Come on, kid, you gotta wake up…"_

_Opening his mako-washed eyes, Cloud got into a sitting position after a few moments, taking in his surroundings. He seemed to be sitting in an endless white abyss_

"_I died," he thought, "I fell through the gate. That means death"_

"_Seems to be that dying comes naturally to you," laughed a familiar voice, "And you always seem to cheat death"_

"_I remember falling. I remember…pain…death…resolution," Cloud thought_

_He shakily got to his feet and looked around_

"_Where am I?" he asked_

"_Amongst those who have passed," came another familiar voice, "In the world where life and death begins and returns to"_

"_The Lifestream?" Cloud asked_

"_The very place," said the first voice_

"_But…this isn't the Lifestream. I've been there before. Wasn't fun"_

"_Yeah, you looked like hell after that"_

"_But Tifa was there to help you get back to normal," said the second voice_

"_Tifa…oh god, I hope she is alright"_

"_She is, but she won't be for long"_

"_Shadow got his hands on the Lifestream. Now he has a lot of power under his belt. I'd say a lot more than Sephiroth. This fight is not gonna be easy, kid"_

"_Yeah, you don't say?" Cloud said, "But how can I fight? I died"_

"_It's not your time"_

"_Wasn't your time either, Aeris. Nor yours, Zack"_

"_Yeah, well, what can you do?" Zack asked, "For some people, yes. Others, no"_

"_We saved you from the very moment of oblivion," Aeris said, "You must fight to protect the world and others"_

"_Again, I say, I'm dead. Besides, every time I go near one of those guys, I suffer from a lot of mental pain and I can't fight. Pain of my past"_

"_You let go of the guilt that was haunting you," Aeris said, "But the pain remains. And that's what Shadow and his gang are exploiting. They're using that against you"_

"_Oh joy," Cloud deadpanned_

"_We're going to return you back to life," said Aeris, "You are needed by your friends to stop Shadow from destroying the world"_

"_Best of luck, kiddo," added Zack, "Shadow's planning to destroy the world at sunset tomorrow. So you have…uh…less than 24 hours"_

"_Don't worry, I'll beat him by then," Cloud said_

"_We shall cleanse you of the pain you suffer. Shadow and his band won't be able to affect you," said Aeris_

"_Good luck, Cloud," said Zack, "Oh and by the way, tell Tifa you love her. It's like watching _Home and Away_"_

"_Be quiet, Zack, I'm trying to concentrate," Aeris scolded_

"Oh, right, sorry. See ya, Cloud"

"_Goodbye, Zack…Aeris"_

_A white light washed over Cloud, taking him away from the abyss_

†††††††††††

Cloud woke up suddenly. He looked around, seeing that he was lying upon the gateway to the Lifestream, surrounded by chunks of rock due to the mountain having collapsed. Grabbing all of his swords that were lying around, Cloud left the gate, reaching the outskirts of the mountain and finding Fenrir still there. With a small smile on his face, he put his swords back into the bike, before starting it up and heading back to the city. As he drove back, he thought about what he was about to face and what kind of battle plan he was going to have to take to survive and win

†††††††††††

Tifa had put Denzel and Marlene to bed and was now sitting at the bar, slowly drinking a glass of rum. She was in deep mourning for Cloud and the future of the world. In fact, she was so deep in her mourning that she didn't hear the motorcycle pulling up outside the bar. Nor the sound of the bell jingling. Only his voice

"Tifa?"

She looked up, tears running down her face. At first she thought he was a vision, sent to ease her pain. But then he was quickly by her side, pushing the rum away and taking her hands in his and she knew then that he was there before her, actually alive and gazing at her with concerned mako-washed eyes

"Are you okay, Tifa? You don't look like it"

She smiled slightly and reached out with one hand, touching his face

"Yeah, I'm really here," Cloud said, "No, I didn't die. I don't think so"

"I can't believe it," she whispered, "I thought I lost you"

"You won't anymore. I'm here now. Everything's gonna be okay"

"Usually it's me who's telling you that everything will be okay"

"Well now it's my turn," Cloud said with a smile

She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close, never wanting to let him go. Cloud smiled as he hugged her back with as much intensity, kissing her temple

"Everything will be okay. I'm gonna make things okay"

"I know you will"

"Come on, Tifa. Let's get you to bed"

He lifted her up easily and gently, before taking her upstairs to her room and gently lying her down on the bed. She curled up, as Cloud laid the cover over her. As he turned to leave, he felt her soft hand resting on his arm

"Please…stay with me," she asked, "I don't wanna be alone"

"Okay"

Removing his cloak, gloves and boots, Cloud laid on the bed next to her, his arm circling her waist, as he placed a kiss on her temple

"I love you, Tifa," he said after a slight hesitation

Tifa rolled over and looked at him, as he smiled slightly abashed

"Say that again," she said

"I love you, Tifa. I always have. I've just been afraid to tell you, cause I thought you didn't love me back. Even though we've been close and-"

He was cut off when Tifa's lips crashed against his. In that moment, he instantly lost his reasoning, kissing her back with as much passion, his arms pulling her close. They broke apart to breathe, as Tifa smiled at him

"It's been about time," she said, "You know how long I've waited to hear that?"

"I'm guessing too long?" Cloud replied

"Damn right you are"

They kissed again, this one more passionate than the last. She wanted more and he never wanted to let her go, each giving in to their passion, losing themselves inside each other. To Cloud's surprise, it was Tifa's first time, so he made sure it was absolutely memorial. While he didn't have much experience himself, he knew that he was able to please Tifa, judging from the mews and moans he got from her. Not long after, they were both reaching their climax and entering their resolution phase, as Cloud rolled to his side, slipping out of Tifa and holding her close, as she nuzzled up to him, content to be in his arms

"That was wonderful," she whispered sleepily

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Cloud said, also sleepy

"It was about time, too"

Cloud smiled and kissed her forehead, before drifting off to sleep

†††††††††††

_"About time they got together," Zack said, "They deserve one another"_

"_Everybody needs somebody," Aeris said_

"_Please don't go all philosophical on me, okay?"_

"_Why, because you like it?"_

"_More than you know"_

"_Well I'm glad you like it"_

"_I have an image to protect"_

"_Not around me, you do"_

"_You know me too well"_

"_Spent all this time together. Why not?"_

"_Good point"_

†††††††††††


	11. Chapter 11

†††††††††††

The _Jenova_ hung in the air ominously, like a sentry guard, as Storm, Tempest and Tremor patrolled on the deck, bored out of their minds. They wanted to destroy the world right now, not play around with weak human beings, like Shadow wanted to do, but they knew better than to argue against their captain

"Ten o'clock, no ones showed up," Storm said, "Let's just blow this joint"

"We have the captain's orders," said Tempest, "No total annihilation until sunset"

"Why bother fighting them? We're gonna win anyway"

"I think it's because the captain wants to test out his powers"

"He had yesterday to do that"

"He wants his powers to grow stronger"

"Right, but while he's doing that, I'm getting bored by the minute"

A loud motorcycle roared beneath the ship. Storm and Tempest headed over, their jaws dropping open when they saw Cloud sitting upon Fenrir, a small smile on his face

"No way. He should be dead. We threw him into the gate," Storm cried

"The captain has to know about this," said Tempest

Cloud revved the engine and spun Fenrir around, before racing off, as Storm and Tempest flew after him. They fired lightning bolts at him, but Cloud dodged them, pulling Fenrir up onto its rear wheel and hitting a small mound of dirt, launching up into the air. Cloud drew two swords and leapt off Fenrir, as Storm flew in with a kick. Cloud blocked, before deflecting Tempest's punch and spinning around, throwing the twins aside, as he landed on Fenrir, riding up the side of a building and landing on the roof, as the twins landed behind him

"Did you just take us on? Without suffering any pain?" Storm asked

"Yeah, I guess I did," Cloud replied, loading himself up with swords

"But how?" Tempest asked

"That's for me to know and you to find out"

He turned around, a small smile on his face as he held his base sword and the edge sword. Storm and Tempest summoned similar-looking swords that were in shape of lightning bolts

"Alright then. Let's play"

Storm leapt through the air, while Tempest flew just above the ground. Cloud blocked her slash, then blocking Storm's chop, then twisting his arms to throw them aside. The twins landed on their feet and shot at Cloud from two sides, as he leapt up into the air. Tempest pushed off Storm's back, shooting after Cloud and slashing at him, as he blocked her moves and kicked her in the stomach, before whirling around and taking on Storm. Cloud dodged a stab at his chest, as Storm struck him with a lightning bolt. He landed on the roof, just as Tremor came smashing through

Cloud quickly got to his feet, jumping off Tremor's head and clashing blades with Tempest. As they landed, Tremor slammed his fist into Cloud's chest, throwing him off the building. Storm followed after him, as Cloud locked the edge sword into the base, before swapping blows with Storm. Cloud stabbed his sword into the side of the building, as Storm flew past, while Tremor was running down the side of the building. Balancing himself on the blade, Cloud drew the two ratchet swords, then kicked off the base sword and blocking Tremor's punches with his swords, as Storm came flying back up. Whirling around, Cloud deflected Storm's lightning bolt into Tremor, then blocked Storm's slash and kicked him away, before folding up the hilts on his swords and locking them into the base sword when it fell into his hands. Cloud landed on the ground a split second after Tremor, as Storm and Tempest soon joined them. Cloud looked around at the trio, thinking up a battle plan

"Ready to die…again?" Storm asked

"Dunno, really. Death really doesn't faze me," Cloud said

"Good, then this shouldn't be a problem for you"

Gunfire rang out, drilling into Tremor's back. He stumbled and whirled around, as Barret grinned and fired another round of bullets into him. At the same time, Storm was struck by Tifa's fist, while Tempest got smacked by Cid's Bo staff

"Good to see that you're back from the dead," Barret said

"Yeah, good to see you too," Cloud said

Tempest threw Cid aside, as a gunshot rang out. She growled, her new injuries smoking, as Vincent reloaded Cerberus, as Tremor ducked a shuriken thrown at him by Yuffie. Meanwhile, Tifa and Storm were busy battling it out hand-to-hand

"You go take down Shadow. We'll take care of these guys," Barret said

"You sure about that?" Cloud asked

"Yes, I'm sure. Now go"

"Okay"

Cloud headed off back to the _Jenova_, finding it still there. Unlocking his weapons and keeping the base and edge sword in hand, Cloud leapt up to the ship, stabbing one sword into the hull and using it to pull himself up onto the deck, only to find himself greeted with the crew, all looking at him menacingly and each armed with scimitars

"Great, this could make things interesting," Cloud muttered

The first of the soldiers attacked, as Cloud dodged or blocked their attacks, fighting his way through them, sending them flying all over the place. More soldiers showed up as others were taken down, as Cloud fought like an expert, leaping up to the mast and taking out the two soldiers there. Four soldiers leapt up after him from different directions, as Cloud jumped off the mast. He took down one soldier, flipping over and kicking another soldier out of the way, then landing on another soldier and taking him down, as well as blocking two soldiers at once

Dodging a decapitation attempt, Cloud sliced the soldier down, then whirled around, slashing three soldiers at once. Flipping off the deck, Cloud blocked a soldier flying at him, shoving him away, before twisting his body and kicking a soldier in the chest, then landing and taking on several soldiers at once. After much fierce fighting, Cloud was the last one left standing, the soldiers strewn around him. And it was after that moment that Shadow showed himself, coming out of the captain's office

"Back from the dead," Shadow said, "How is that possible? The core of the Lifestream is very volatile. It destroys anyone who falls past the gate"

"Guess I was lucky," Cloud replied, "Ready to end this?"

"Yeah, okay then"

Shadow held out his hand, as energy similar to the Lifestream appeared around his palm and formed into a sword, as Cloud held his base sword with two hands

"Yeah, let's finish this," Shadow said, "I really look forward to killing you again"

Shadow moved at Cloud at lightning speed. The blond-haired warrior only had time to flick his sword and defend the blow, as Shadow whirled around with a chop, before slicing upwards and throwing Cloud into the air. He leapt up after him, swinging his sword rapidly and fiercely. Cloud was barely having time to react and defend, as Shadow was that quick and skilled with the blade. To Cloud, he seemed tougher and stronger than Sephiroth. And that was saying a lot

†††††††††††

"You guys have gotten a little tougher than last time," Storm said

Tifa kneed him twice in the stomach, followed by a swift right hook, as Storm blocked her left jab and struck her, before throwing her across the road. Tempest grabbed Cid's Bo staff and threw him into the air, as Vincent shot at her. She dodged the bullets, striking Vincent with a lightning bolt, before dodging Cid when he came down with his Bo staff aimed at her. Meanwhile, Barret was holding off Tremor with his machinegun, while Yuffie was attacking the giant Jenova with swift attacks and her shurikens, giving him no chance to get a hold of her

"Don't you guys ever give up?" Tempest asked, smacking Cid aside and dodging Vincent's gunfire, "I mean, you are gonna get annihilated"

"Oh shut the hell up, bitch," Cid growled, swinging his Bo staff

Tempest dodged his attacks and threw him into Vincent, as Yuffie threw a large shuriken, slicing through Tremor's stomach. He growled, catching her by the arm and slamming her into the ground, before raising his fist. However, Barret ran in and jammed his machine gun through the wound and firing rapidly. Bullets tore through Tremor's back, as he seized up, his body glowing brightly, before breaking up into Lifestream matter and fading away

"One down, three to go," Barret growled

†††††††††††


	12. Chapter 12

†††††††††††

Tempest leapt up and kicked Cid in the face, as Vincent lunged at her, drawing back his left fist and slamming it into her face, smashing her into the ground. With one foot on her stomach, Vincent kicked off with the other, using Tempest as a skateboard, flicking her into the air and shooting her at point-blank with Cerberus

Storm deflected Tifa's punch and grabbed her by the throat, before throwing her over his head and slamming her into the road, as a shuriken sliced through his back. Growling, Storm fired a lightning bolt at Yuffie, as she rolled out of the way, while Barret aimed and fired. Storm flew out of the way, flying down at Barret and dodging the bullets, before kicking him through the air. Barret groaned when he came to a stop, as Storm dodged Tifa's thrust kick and smacked her in the face

†††††††††††

Cloud ducked under the blade and slashed at Shadow's legs, but he jumped out of the way, landing next to the crow's nest. Cloud leapt up after him, clashing blades with him. Shadow was backing Cloud up the edge of the mast, grinning as he easily blocked or parried Cloud's moves. Dodging Cloud's thrust, Shadow sliced at his head, but Cloud dodged the blade, before slicing upwards. Shadow blocked and lifted himself up into the air, before gathering energy onto his left hand and firing a blast. Cloud grabbed the edge sword, leaping up into the air as the mast was destroyed. Shadow flew down and slashed rapidly, as Cloud blocked his attacks, kicking him in the chest. Shadow caught himself and struck Cloud with an energy blast, smashing him into a nearby building

Cloud grabbed his sword and got to his feet, just as Shadow came smashing through, swinging his sword. Blocking his fast blows, Cloud ducked under the blade and sliced upwards, throwing Shadow through the ceiling. He leapt up after him, as Shadow aimed his hand and fired an energy blast. Cloud covered himself with his sword, as the blast engulfed him, but flew over him and exploded behind him. Thrown forward by the blast, Cloud traded blows with Shadow as they pass through the floors, bursting out through the roof and into the air. They began to fall through the air, still swapping moves, as Cloud kicked Shadow in the chest, before engaging the edge sword into the fight. Swinging both blades, Cloud blocked and parried Shadow's moves, before breaking away from him and landing on his feet, as Shadow landed about twenty feet away and raised his right hand, aiming at Cloud

"Time to die"

Shadow began firing energy blast after energy blast, as Cloud dodged or deflected them. Raising his hand to the sky, Shadow fired an energy blast that broke up into eight individual energy balls, before falling towards Cloud. He leapt out of the way, as Shadow flew at him, kicking him through the air. Cloud soared back, twisting his body and stabbing the base sword into the side of a building, stopping himself. He looked up, as Shadow flew at him. Leaping out of the way, Cloud drew his link swords and threw at Shadow. He flew out of the way, flying at Cloud and slashing at him, as Cloud drew his last two swords, the ratchet swords and blocked. They landed on the road, as Shadow began slashing and slicing rapidly. Blocking his moves, Cloud broke away, as the ratchet swords began glowing. He then did a small spin, throwing a wave of energy off each blade. Shadow dodged the energy waves, as Cloud kicked him in the chest, before slashing at him

"That's a bit more like it," Shadow grinned

†††††††††††

Tempest kicked Cid in the stomach, before blocking Vincent's punch and sinking her fist into his stomach. Yuffie came in with a flying kick, but Tempest sent her flying with a lightning bolt, while Barret was shooting at Storm. He dodged the bullets and flew in, smacking Barret's machinegun aside, before grabbing him by the throat and lifting him up. Tifa drove her elbow into Storm's back, making him drop Barret, as he whirled around, but Tifa ducked his backhand and punched him in the stomach. Storm struck her with a lightning bolt at close range, blasting her through the air, as Tempest flew past, having been struck by an explosive round from Vincent

"You guys are getting good," she grinned, getting to her feet

"Despite your skills, you can't save the world," Storm said

"Yeah and what makes you think that?" Barret asked

"Even if you manage to defeat us, the world will fall into corruption and tear itself apart. It's only a matter of time," Tempest said, "We're just preventing that"

"If the world ends, it'll be by our hands," Cid said, "Not yours"

"You gonna try and stop us?" Storm asked, "How long have we been fighting for? I can tell you are wearing out. Us two, we can keep on going"

"Don't worry, we'll defeat you," Yuffie said, "We're just working out how"

"You can't stop us. Not now, not ever. Let's end this"

Storm and Tempest began flying up into the air, small lightning bolts cackling around them. Wind began to pick up, blowing wildly, as the twins circled each other, creating a barrier of electricity. Cerberus began to glow, as Vincent ran at Cid. He seemed to know what was going on, as he laid his Bo staff out. Vincent jumped onto the weapon, as Cid pushed him through the air. Vincent flew through the air, pushing off a building wall, as he flew close to the barrier. The twins didn't see him coming until it was too late. Tempest was closer, as Vincent pressed Cerberus to the side of her head and pulled the trigger, firing three explosive rounds. Her headed was obliterated, her body falling away from the barrier. Storm cried out, blasting Vincent high into the sky. Vincent began falling, as Storm flew at him and struck him with a series of lightning bolts, barely letting up. Vincent cried out in pain, as the electricity course through him

"This is for killing my sister," Storm growled

Vincent fired at him, knocking him away, as he fell towards the ground. However, the electric assault had taken a lot out of him and he slammed into the ground, as Storm landed. Barret fired at him, but Storm struck him with a lightning bolt, before dodging Yuffie's shuriken and kicking her in the stomach, then grabbing Cid's Bo staff and throwing him through the air. However, at that moment, a rebar was shoved through his chest, as Tifa used the opportunity to snap his neck. Dropping his body, Tifa was breathing heavily, wiping the blood away from her nose and mouth

"You okay?" Yuffie asked, joining her

"Yeah, I'm fine," Tifa replied

Storm's body broke up into energy, before fading away

"Come on, let's go help Cloud," Tifa said

†††††††††††

Cloud was jumping from building to building, narrowly avoiding the energy blasts as they exploded and tore out a chuck of the building. Shadow growled in frustration and fired two energy blasts, but Cloud leapt down onto the road, avoiding the explosion. Shadow gathered energy onto his hand, ready to fire it, when a shuriken flew in and slashed him across the chest. The shot went missed, as Shadow fired one at Yuffie. She leapt out of the way, as Cloud leapt up at Shadow. He summoned his sword and blocked Cloud's strike, before shoving him back and avoiding the gunfire from Barret. Yuffie threw a few small shurikens, as Shadow flew about, avoiding the projectiles. Vincent fired at him, as Shadow retaliated with an energy blast. He dodged it, as Cloud leapt up and engaged him in combat again

"So your friends are here. Guess that means my friends are dead," Shadow said

"And what do you think that tells you?" Cloud asked

"Doesn't matter. They didn't. I have no need for them anymore. I have the power"

Shadow grabbed Cloud by the front of his shirt and threw him into a building, before landing and dodging Cid's Bo staff. Cid slashed wide, but Shadow jumped over the staff and kicked him in the chest, as Tifa came in, swinging her fist. Shadow locked her arm under his and kneed her in the ribs, before throwing her through the air, then striking Vincent with an energy blast, before punching Yuffie aside. At that moment, Cloud came flying out of the building, holding the First Sword, as Shadow began to float up into the air, energy gathering on his right hand

"I'm gonna destroy this world. And you won't be able to stop me," he said

"We'll see about that," Cloud said

†††††††††††


	13. Chapter 13

†††††††††††

Shadow continued flying up higher, as Cloud leapt up after him. Grinning, Shadow summoned his sword and flew down, slashing at him. Cloud blocked his moves, before kicking him through a building. He landed on the roof, as Shadow came flying up and fired an energy blast. Cloud leapt up, as the building exploded, throwing large chucks of concrete and steel everywhere. The pair was amongst the falling debris, battling it out, sparks of energy flying from their blades. Their attacks got faster and faster, until their swords became blurs. Cloud was the first to break away, smashing Shadow through a chuck of concrete and leaping down after him. Shadow blocked the strike and pushed away, before swinging his sword. Cloud blocked and twisted his body, flipping over the blade and slashing downwards. Shadow landed on a large chunk of building, deflecting Cloud's move and kicking him in the head. Dazed, Cloud jumped onto another block of building, as Shadow leapt after him. Floating in the air, Shadow delivered a series of rapid, sharp blows, which Cloud was able to block, before getting kicked through the block and falling towards the ground. Shadow flew down and sliced at him, as he blocked and pushed away, before trading blows with Shadow as they fell through the air. Breaking apart, they landed, Shadow on his feet and Cloud on his back. Groaning, Cloud got to his knees, before groaning in pain when a sword impaled him just under the rib cage

"I guess this is over now for you, Cloud," Shadow said, "Such a shame. You are a great opponent. But now, you've lost and I shall destroy this world"

"I won't let you," Cloud said, spitting out blood

"Keep telling yourself that. But you know the truth. It's right in front of you. You can't stop me. You couldn't before and you can't now. I mean, look at you"

Shadow removed his sword, as Cloud fell forward onto one hand, his other hand clutching at his wound, trying to stem the blood flow. Shadow smiled and began flying up, energy gathering around his body. Gritting his teeth, Cloud grabbed his sword and shakily got to his feet. Ignoring the pain and the fact that his life was ebbing away from him, Cloud leapt up after Shadow, who couldn't be seen amongst the brightly glowing energy. He, however, saw Cloud and aimed both hands, as energy gathered in his palms. Cloud continued flying towards him, as the First Sword glowed gold. Cloud flicked his sword, as it flew out of his hand and broke up into the seven swords. Shadow watched with confusion, as Cloud himself glowed gold, before shooting around and grabbing his sword. And with each sword he grabbed, he slashed and sliced into Shadow. Grabbing the final sword, Cloud dived down towards the stunned Shadow, slicing through him and landing on the ground, his swords impaled in the ground around him

"How do you feel about that now?" Cloud groaned

Shadow screamed, as the energy was sucked in towards him, before exploding outwards, leaving nothing of him behind. The energy rained down, twinkling around Cloud as he fell onto his back, his face ghostly pale. This was how Tifa and the others found Cloud, lying close to death under the veil of Lifestream energy. Tifa rushed to his side, holding him close to her, feeling his heartbeat fading away

"Don't you dare leave me, please. Not now, not when we're so close," she cried

The Lifestream matter continued to fall around them, as energy began drifting towards Cloud, before settling around his body. Tifa watched as his impalement injury was healed before her eyes and she could feel his heartbeat getting stronger. Cloud groaned, before coughing as he sat up

"I'm fine," he said, "I'm all good"

†††††††††††

_Four months later…_

Tifa was cleaning up the bar when she heard Fenrir pulling outside. Denzel and Marlene were in bed already, as Tifa put away the last of the glasses, as Cloud walked into the bar and took his cloak off

"How was the run?" Tifa asked

"It was fine. How about yourself? You taking it easy?"

"Yeah, as always"

"So, what about everything else?"

"Everything is fine. Nothing to worry about"

Cloud sat down at the bar and sighed

"That's good then. That's good to hear"

Tifa smiled and leaned across the bar to give him a kiss

"Well I tell you what, it's gonna be very interesting around here," Cloud said

"Oh, you think?" Tifa asked, turning back to her cleaning

"Well, with the baby coming and the kids and all"

"Everything will be okay"

At that moment, the bell jingled. Tifa looked up, as Cloud turned in his seat to face the visitor, his eyes widening when he saw who it was

"Hey there, Cloud, long time, no see"

"Dante? No way," Cloud said, getting up from his seat

Dante chuckled and walked over to Cloud, giving him a hug

"Who are you?" Tifa asked

"Tifa, this is Dante, an old friend of mine," Cloud said, "Dante, this is Tifa, my girlfriend"

"Hey, good one, mate," Dante grinned

"So, how have things been? I haven't seen or heard from you in years now"

"Been busy, running my business, defeating demon kings and saving the damsel in distress. Just came out of a big fight with a god king. Man, that was tough"

"Sounds like it," Cloud said

"Speaking of which, that is why I'm here," Dante said, "I'm getting married in five months. I'd like you to come to it"

"Yeah, sure, I can do that. You don't mind, honey?"

"I'd love to," Tifa said with a smile

"Excellent. See you then"

With a grin and a small wave, Dante headed off, as Cloud looked at Tifa

"Yep, I'm getting that idea, Cloud. So when?"

"Uh…I may not have the ring yet, but Tifa, you want to marry me?"

"Of course"

Cloud and Tifa smiled as they sealed the deal with a kiss

†††††††††††


End file.
